I have been openly disappointed in the direction of the Christian Dior fragrance releases. There seems to have been an internal agreement to aggressively target those who prefer transparent styles of fragrance. I believe they think that translates to a younger demographic. I haven’t seen the proof for that hypothesis yet. Dior isn’t waiting. My issue comes with the near dismissive destruction of what came before. If this had just remained on the commercial side of the equation, I would have been less frustrated. Unfortunately this has taken over the what used to be the brilliant La Collection Privee and replaced it with Maison Christian Dior. The change happened last year, and the twelve new members of this re-named collection displayed a wide range of quality with only a couple standing out. Which makes the moment when I receive a new release less of a celebration. It becomes more a moment of nervous anticipation as it was when I received Maison Christian Dior Spice Blend.
Francois Demachy
One of the reasons I remain hopeful is the presence of perfumer Francois Demachy behind this line. I have this belief that he can be one of those who finds a way to make this transparency trend less a passing fancy. I always think that it is within this collection that I might see the first signs of it. Spice Blend is probably not the harbinger of better things to come. It is a transparent spicy perfume which is going to be great for the transition between summer and fall. While the title correctly implies this will be a spice-filled fragrance it leaves out it will also be floating on a snifter of rum.
It opens with that rich boozy rum infused with ginger. You might read that thinking there is intensity here. M. Demachy is layering semi-opaque levels of ingredients; even things like rum and ginger. The promised mélange appears next with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and baie rose the standouts. I do admire the ability to keep an accord of those ingredients on the lighter side. As I wore this, I thought I’d be left wanting more but the right balance is struck. It all finishes on a set of synthetic woods.
Spice Blend has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
For something as light as this is it lasts much longer than I expected. While I don’t think Spice Blend does anything more than offer a lighter alternative for those who enjoy spicy perfumes it does that well. I am sure I’ll wear my sample again on a cool early fall morning, but I am still waiting for something better from Maison Christian Dior.
Disclosure: this review is based on a sample provided by Christian Dior.
–Mark Behnke
